


That fateful interview

by coffeelover211



Category: Tom Hiddleston - Fandom
Genre: Bad tenses and grammar, F/M, Hopefully funny and sweet, Serious social anxciety, bit of bad language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-28
Updated: 2015-10-29
Packaged: 2018-04-28 15:00:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5094992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coffeelover211/pseuds/coffeelover211
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tom meets a beautiful interviewer and he can't stop thinking about her. But can she fit in his world with her social anxiety issues? <br/>I don't claim to know anything about social anxiety disorders or anything. Just a story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

I know that a lot of actors hate doing press for a movie, promoting it, and I can see where they’re coming from. You have to answer the same questions fifty times a day for weeks on end, you keep staying in hotels, living out of a suitcase and it is quite tiring to keep everyone happy. Not to mention the jetlag!

But to tell you the truth, I kind of love it. I love meeting the fans of my work, love hearing some honest opinions, and I just love talking to people in general.

Today is a day of endless interviews for The Avengers. I am currently taking a quick bathroom break from the relentless questions, just catching my breath before my next interview. 

On my way back, I suddenly hear raised voices. Someone is having a big argument in heated whispers, just beyond the corridor. I think I’ll just hang out here for a few minutes. I don’t want to embarrass them by walking into their argument. And also, I wouldn’t know what to say. Unfortunately, I can hear their whole argument from where I’m standing.

A beautiful female voice, sounding a bit desperate, is saying: “But Steve, I can’t do it! Where is Diana? It’s her job.”

Then Steve, presumably, is saying: “She ran off with some producer guy. Who cares? The point is you’ll have to take over.”

“Oh no, poor girl. She is going to have her little naïve heart broken into pieces!”

“I don’t give a shit about that bitch; she dropped me in the middle of the interviews! Why did you think I called you? To sip on some tea and discuss the love life of an ungrateful selfish twit?”

I hear a soft gasp. “How can you say such…?”

“Enough. Let’s get to the problem at hand. You have to fill Diana’s shoes. There is no one else.”

“Steve, I can’t. I can’t talk to strangers, you know that. I am SO not qualified for this! I mean, I have to give myself a pep talk before I go shopping. Sometimes I go weeks without milk, just to avoid talking to people. I dread going to the hairdresser, because I’ll have to talk to her for at least an hour. Please I can’t.”

“I don’t care. There is nothing you can say that will get you out of this.” Wow, this Steve is kind of a jerk.

“But I’m not even dressed for this interview thing. I mean, I’m wearing a Wolverine t-shirt. Think about that. A. Wolverine. T-shirt. And I wouldn’t know what questions to ask. I didn’t do any research or anything.”

“Take my jacket; it’ll make you look a bit more professional. And I’ll give you the questions that Diana was going to ask the people.” Shuffling noises ensue.

“Why can’t you do it?”

“Because you’re the one with the enormous tits. Ultimately, that’s what the viewers want.”

I hear her gasp again. I take it back, this guy’s a jackass.

“I…”

“Come on, Bianca. If you don’t do it, you’re fired. Simple as that.”

“Oh no, please Steve, you can’t!”

“I can and I will. You know I’m capable of doing it. Oh, and another thing. I realise that this will be your first time doing this so here’s a few tips. Firstly show a lot of cleavage and legs. Secondly, flirt. That’s about it.”

No, Steve is a perverted asshole. 

“Now, get your ass to the interview room. You’re on in about five minutes.”

I hear footsteps clicking away. Probably this poor ‘Bianca’. I duck behind a door when I hear heavier steps walking my way. I catch a glimpse of this disgusting swine Steve. Bald-headed, fat, red-faced, and short. Creepy, beady eyes to boot.

Well, I have to get back to my own interview. I jog to the room, not wanting to be late. No one was present in the room, except for the next interviewer. A beautiful girl with luscious brown curls, reaching behind her back, is seated in her chair. She is wearing a Wolverine t-shirt with the word Wolverine stamped in red across her chest. Wow. No words. Literally. She is intently reading a piece of paper, not even hearing me come in.

I swallow slowly. I’m not going to make it through these thirty minutes. 

I walk up to her and say: “Hey, I’m Tom,” holding my hand out to her.

She jumps and lets her papers fall to the floor. Her whole face turns red. She bends down (gulp.) and picks them up. I see that she got the questions for Chris Hemsworth. Jackass Steve didn’t even check to see who she was interviewing. She turns her gaze to me. My heart skips a beat. She has the biggest, most beautiful grey eyes, with it seems like violet flecks. Is that even possible? She moves her gaze to somewhere at my shoulder.

“Um, s-sorry. Didn’t hear you come in. Oh, um, h-hey.” She softly shakes my hand, and lets it drop like a can of worms.

She bites her bottom lip. I’m in hell. Sweet, sweet hell. “No, I’m sorry for scaring you. I’m your next interview, by the way.” I sit in my chair. I see her face pale immediately. She looks down at her papers. She sits down in her chair.

“So, who have you interviewed so far?” 

I see the panic in her face when she looks up at me. “Uh-um, actually, to be honest, this is going to be my first one. I’m really,” her breath hitches, “really nervous.”

“Well, I’m honoured to be your first. And don’t worry about a thing; I’ll make sure to do most of the talking.” I wink at her. What? I just couldn’t resist. “Oh, darling, what’s your name?”

She smiles a bit relieved at me, “Thanks, T-Tom. It’s Bianca.”

“Beautiful name.” Wow, you’ve got how many Shakespeare poems memorised, and THAT’S the best you could come up with?!

But luckily, she blushes anyway, looking away. “T-thanks.” We both look to the door as Luke, my manager, comes in, with Steve next to him.

“Well, your interviewer has twenty minutes to ask questions, and I trust she has read the memo I emailed you about which questions she can’t ask?”

I only have to look at Bianca, and see the fresh panic in her face to know that she had no idea which questions were off limits. “Of course,” Steve lied smoothly. 

Luke walks up to Bianca, shakes her hand quickly, giving her the once over. Back off, Lukey Boy. He looks at me, seeing my intense glare and smirks. At least he knows to back off. Even if he is going to tease me relentlessly for the next few weeks. 

Steve introduces himself sweetly and shakes my hand. Urgh, I hope a cold, perverted heart isn’t contagious. Bianca doesn’t look at him once. “I hope you enjoy your time with Bianca, Mr Hiddleston,” Steve says with a disgusting smile. He sounds like a pimp. Bianca keeps looking at her papers, frowning, and beet red. Bastard. I just nod.

“Okay, in three, two, one.” I wink at Bianca. I got you, girl.

“H-hey everybody, and welcome to Movie B-buzz, and today we are talking to Tom Hiddleston about The Avengers. Hello Tom, how are you?”

“Great, and yourself?”

“Good. Good. So tell us a bit more about…. Uh, your character?”

Smart girl. I elaborated on Loki, talking about his journey from the first movie, and talked about the premise of the movie, just to give her a little material for her next question.

“Wow, sounds like you h-have a lot of fun playing Loki.”

“Yes. Yes, I do.”

“How did it feel working with this cast?”

That’s how it went on for twenty minutes and then she said her goodbyes on camera and we were done. 

I am very thankful for this, because I kept staring at her beautiful calves, which were very distracting and caused me to lose my train of thought a few times.

“You were wonderful. I don’t know why you were so nervous.”

“Thanks, but you were the one doing all the talking. You really saved me there.” She stands up to leave, so I get up too. 

“What? Are you kidding? Damsel in distress? I couldn’t resist.”

She smiles at me and puts a stray curl behind her ear. “I thought you were playing the bad guy?”

I smile brightly at her. “I am.”

Her smile falters when Steve approaches us. “Bianca, that was your last interview, so can I get my jacket back? It’s a bit chilly.”

Bianca turns red, and tries to postpone taking the jacket off. She’s scared of what I will think. Or of Steve ogling her. When Steve remains firm, she reluctantly gives him the jacket. I can sense her squirming under Steve’s stare. He holds out his hand to me: “Pleasure doing business with you, sir.”

I grab his hand and apply as much pressure as I can possibly manage. His face goes white. “Yes, thank you.” I can’t even force a fake smile. Luckily he quickly leaves.   
I turn to Bianca. She has her arms folded across her chest, and she isn’t looking at me. I take off my cardigan and offer it to her. She shakes her head, but before she can verbalize her refusal I say: “Please take it. I insist.”

“T-thank you. You’re very kind.” She takes the cardigan softly and wraps herself up in it. It looks quite good on her. I wonder what my white button shirt would look like on her… Focus Tom, now is not the time. I offer her a wide smile. She pauses, staring at my smile. After realising what she is doing, she quickly looks away. Whoop, whoop! Good move. But what is going to be my next move? I can’t let her leave, but I can’t just ask for her number out of the blue. She’ll think I’m creepy. Say something witty!   
Luke walks over to us; he just couldn’t resist the opportunity to see me try to impress a girl. Not that I’ve really met anyone like Bianca, but still. I kind of want to smack that teasing smirk off his smug little face. Wow, aggressive much? 

“Bianca, that was a great interview. I was wondering, maybe we can organize another interview, but an exclusive one?” Bianca’s mouth falls a little open. She looks at me, waiting for confirmation, I guess.

“Outstanding idea Luke, one of your best I would say.”

“Uh, yeah, of course, that sounds wonderful.” She smiles brightly.

“Great, now if you would be so kind as to give me your personal cell phone number, I could contact you directly about a time. I don’t want someone else and it would be a nuisance to have to work through your boss.”

“Um, s-sure, here it is.” Luke you sly dog. “Well, here is the next interviewer, so I’ll get out of your hair. T-thanks again for everything.” She shakes our hands quickly, smiles awkwardly to the girl waiting in the chair and walks to the door. 

“Oh!” She twirls back to face us, “Your cardigan!” She starts taking it off.

“No, don’t worry. Keep it.” I step towards her.

“I couldn’t. It would feel wrong.”

“Please,” I put my hand on her shoulder, “please.”

She looks up at me with those big grey eyes. And slowly nods. “Thank you. And, um, bye.”

She practically jogs out of the room. I turn to Luke. “I could kiss you right now.” He chuckles, “Yeah, yeah, just get on with the next interview, you romantic twit.”

Needless to say, it was really difficult to concentrate on the rest of the day’s interviews.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second interview.

Luke managed to organize an interview with Bianca. He didn’t really have a choice. I pestered him until he called her. I’m meeting her in a few minutes. I’m actually already at our private spot, where we are meeting. It’s at Luke’s offices, in the vacant meeting room. Luke said it would look more professional, and won’t freak her out as much. I had to agree. I don’t want to mess this up. 

I turn around as the door opens. I’m stunned. It’s Bianca. Her brown hair is curled again; she is wearing a white button shirt with black jeans and flats. She looks professional. And it’s sexy. Very, very sexy… She smiles politely putting her hand forward, “Hello again, Mr Hiddleston.”

Okaaay…. So she came all professional and business. And kind of cold. Not what I was hoping for, but okay. She still came. I shake her hand, and she quickly pulls back. “Hello. And it’s Tom. Please.”

“S-sure Tom. Shall we get started?” She sits down and pulls a huge file, notebook and tape recorder out of her bag. Her hands are shaking a little. So, she’s nervous? I have to fix that.

“Could I ask you a question?” She looks at me, confused.

“I thought I was here to interview you,” she says with a small frown.

“Well, if we want to make this interesting, how about a question for a question?”

“I don’t know if…”

“Come on, please? I hate to rattle incessantly on about myself.”

“Um, I guess. It seems fair.” She bites her bottom lip and looks at her notepad.

“Okay, great! Do you want to start first?”

“Uh, yeah, okay.” She takes out a recorder, and presses the button. “So, you are up for playing Henry V in the new BBC adaption. How are you feeling about it?”

I shift a little in my seat. “Yes, I am. I’m very excited about it, I’ve been preparing for over a year now, and I would like to just go do it. Shakespeare is my passion. It is great to do something like an epic Marvel movie, but it is truly a privilege to do something so inspiring and a personal favorite.” She nods and makes a few notes.

“My turn.” She lifts her eyes, and turns off the recorder. 

“Do you like Marvel movies? I’m asking, because the other day you were wearing a Wolverine t-shirt, so…”

“Well, yeah, I love Marvel’s movies, sure.” 

“Wait, let me rephrase that. What kind of movies do you like?”

She fidgets with the pages on her notebook. “I love all kinds of films. Romantic ones, sci-fi movies, fantasy movies, medieval movies, period dramas, some action movies, also the funny comedies. There is just one genre I never ever watch. Horror movies.” Well, wow, that’s cool, and really specific.

“And Wolverine is your favorite?” She blushes bright red. “Well, he was my favorite character since the first movie came out, but um, I kind of have a crush on Hugh Jackman, so yeah…”

I smile broadly at her. Well well well. That is interesting. 

She straightens up and pushes the recording button. “What was your favorite Shakespeare piece to perform and why?”

I draw in a breath, “That’s a tough one. Probably Othello or Hamlet. Just because they are such beautiful pieces and I performed them with inspiring people.”

She scribbles something on her notepad. “Okay, so what’s the one thing you’ve always dreamed of doing?”

“Seriously?” She looks at me incredulously. 

“Yes.”

“Wow, it’s kind of an unfair question, because there is so much, I don’t even know where to start.”

“Just say anything.” I smile comfortingly at her. 

“Well, just a few things off the top of my head- go to the theater, see the Mona Lisa, see the pyramids, get Leonard Nimoy’s autograph, go to Venice, see my friends from high school, finish reading The Return of the King, and get enough guts to watch The Notebook again, lose wei… I think I’ll stop there.” She is blushing when she realizes that she has been talking for a while and she almost let something obviously personal slip out. 

"You can go on if you like,” please go on, I want to make all your dreams and aspirations come true. I look at her gorgeous figure. Why would she think that she needed to lose weight? That’s just crazy!

“No, I-I… it’s my turn to ask a question. Um… Who do you really want to work with?”  
“The list is too long, but probably Meryl Streep or Morgan Freeman. The list goes on and on.” I shift my chair a bit closer to hers. “Do you want to go out on a date with me?” 

She looks utterly flabbergasted. “Um… I-I… Why?”

“Why?”

“Yes. Why do you want me to go on a date with you?”

It is my turn to look at her puzzled. “Because I like you and I want to continue our afternoon in an informal setting.”

“Uh, sure I guess.” She doesn’t look at me. We continue our interview for about the next half hour. 

“Well, I think I have enough to write an article.” She stands up, puts out her surprisingly delicate hand. “Thank you for your time, I appreciate it.” I take her hand, and hold it. She looks at our hands and then into my eyes, confused and a little panicked. 

“So aren’t we going on that date?” A faint blush creeps over her cheeks. I step closer and smile at her. She smiles shyly and pulls her hand back. “Yeah, we can. I’m free.”

“Excellent!”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The date!

We bought ice cream, and I paid, after about ten minutes of convincing Bianca to let me. Now we are walking through the park. I am now realising that the ice cream wasn’t such a good idea, because she is using it as an excuse not to talk that much, so I have to carry the whole conversation. Which I normally don’t mind, I love talking, but I want to know more about her. Secondly, the way her tongue glides over the ice cream is very distracting and I keep forgetting what I was saying.

We sit down on a park bench with a great view of the whole park with all of the people enjoying the sunny day. A giant golden Labrador runs up to Bianca with a ball in his mouth, wagging his tail. He drops the muddy ball into her lap, leaving brown smudges on her white shirt. I closely look at her reaction, ready to scold the idiotic dog if needed. The weirdest thing happens. She giggles. Giggles, I kid you not. She picks up the ball and throws it a few feet in front of her. 

She blushes as she turns to me, “I suck at throwing balls. Lacking in the tomboy department, I’m afraid.” She’s embarrassed about her ball skills? I laugh with her, “Well, as far as cute flaws go…” She turns to me with a slight frown, but immediately smiles when the dog returns with his ball. This time she hands it to me, “I think he’d enjoy a further throw than mine.”

I nod smilingly at her and throw the ball as hard as my rugby muscles would possibly allow me. Bianca laughs gleefully, “Wow that was great!” 

“Thanks,” I laugh, throwing my head back. We both stand up, giggling. The big pooch comes jogging towards us with a woman running behind him. “Sammy! Boy, slow down!” The woman stops in front of us, panting. She stretches, showing me quite an eyeful. She smiles friendly at us. Well, at me.

“I’m sorry if Sam bothered you guys. He just loves his ball.” The woman smiles brightly at me, stepping closer.

“No its fine, we don’t mind.” I say to her.

“Your dog is so sweet,” Bianca offers the lady and scratches Sammy’s ear. The woman goes from smiling at me to lifting an eyebrow at Bianca. “Yes, thanks sweetie.” She places her hand on my shoulder. “So are you a dog person?”

“No, not really…” This is kind of awkward. How do I tell her to piss off in a nice way? She’s just being friendly. Right?

“Yeah, me neither. Sammy’s my friend’s dog.” She turns me softly away from Bianca, who is still stroking the dog. “What do you say we ditch the dog and the fat cow, and you take me for a ride in your car, hmmm? Someone a little… better suited for you, Mr Hiddleston,” she practically purrs into my ear. It takes everything I have in me, not to choke on the disgust in my throat.

I untangle her arms from my shoulders, “Madam, I am on a date with this stunning girl, who I find enchanting. Other than you, whose most bearable quality is her dog. I find superficial, mean people like you, disgusting. Good day.” I swiftly turn around to find Bianca already quite a distance away from us. Sammy is trying to follow her and every few steps she looks down and tries to tell him to go back.

“Bianca!” she looks up at the sound of her name. I quickly jog until I’m next to her. She puts on a fake smile, “Are you leaving with Sammy?” she looks away.  
“No, I-“

“Its fine, thanks again for the ice cream,” she starts walking again. Sammy hears his owner calling, licks Bianca’s hand and trots off.

I grab her hand, she looks at me annoyed. “Bianca, the only person that I’m leaving this park with is you. Ignore that stupid, half-witted woman and let’s enjoy the rest of our date, okay?”

She frowns slightly but nods. I don’t let go of her hand as we continue walking in the random direction. Out of the corner of my eye, I see her looking at our hands, blushing and trying to act like it didn’t affect her. I know that what Sammy’s owner said was hurtful, I don’t expect her to just forget about it. I want to make her believe that I like her, and that she is beautiful.

“Are you a dog person?” it was the first thing that I could think of. 

“Not really. I like dogs, I loved my own dogs, but I’m more of a cat person. You?”

“Me too.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a few months of dating.

“So welcome Tom. We’re really excited to have you on Koolass!”

“Hey, thanks man. I’m really excited to be here to talk to you guys.”

Chris, my current interviewer, on his talk show, was sitting opposite me, in a large comfy chair. I’m here to talk about Only Lovers Left Alive, mostly. We talk about that, of course talking about Loki and why he’s not in the next Avengers.

“Well, I heard you are quite the ladies’ man. Got a lot of women out there who adore you. So my question is actually… You got someone special?”

Uhh, well I knew people like asking these questions. I get it. They want to know if I’m available. I don’t know if Bianca would be alright with me announcing our relationship, but I want the world to know that I’m taken. And more specifically… that she’s taken.  
“Uh, well, first off, thank you, I really have the best fans ever. I can’t believe my luck, I love them very much. And yes, I have a girlfriend.” 

Chris smiles like a maniac. He is the first to get the news, so he’s probably going to milk this opportunity.

“So? Tell us more about this mystery woman?”

“I’ll only tell you one thing. I love her.” And it’s the truth.  
.....  
I called Bianca and invited her over for dinner at my place. I knew I had to explain why I had announced our private life on live television. Maybe she hadn’t seen it yet, or never will, but I want to be honest with her. She could feel that she wasn’t ready to go public. And then there was the thing that just slipped out. I haven’t even told her yet, never mind thousands of people on TV. 

I finished setting the table, with candles, romantic music playing in the background. The food is done as well. Roasted chicken with vegetables and of course pudding for dessert. 

There is a soft knock at the door. I jog to the door and fling it open. Bianca, the most beautiful sight ever, stands before me in a sundress. “Hey.” 

“Hello darling.” I lean in and kiss her softly. When I pull back, I see her blush. “Please come in.” I stand aside for her to enter, closing the door behind her. She gasps as she sees the candles and the table. “Like it?”

“Wow, Tom. You shouldn’t have gone through all the trouble. It’s really amazing.” She had the brightest smile on her sweet face. 

“Nonsense. It’s never any trouble for you.” She turns to face me and kisses me sweetly on the lips, before taking her coat off and hooking it on the coat rack. I am frozen on the spot by her sudden affection. She rarely kisses me first, and it’s a bit of a shock to my body. Difficult to process. 

“Tom?” she looks at me with concern. 

“Uh. Yes.” I clear my throat. “How about we get straight to dinner?” When she nods, I pull her chair out for her. “Thank you.”

We ate the first course in relative silence, since we were both famished. When we finished that, she asked if we could wait a bit before the dessert. “I don’t think I could eat any more right now, but I don’t want to miss out on your pudding.” She smiled at me, but she seemed nervous. 

We clear the table and sit on the couch. She put her head on my shoulder. Okay, moment of truth. “Bianca, I have to tell you something.”

She sits up. “Um, if, if it’s okay with you, I kind of want to say something first.” 

“Sure, darling.” 

She looks quickly at my face and then looks away. “Um, okay. But I’m not going to look at you when I tell you, because then I won’t be able to, so don’t judge me. I just… I don’t know how to say it, but I want to, so here goes.” She takes a deep breath. I feel myself starting to panic. What is it?!

“I’ve felt like this for a while now, and the thing is… The thing is…” I take her hand. 

“I love you.” She closes her eyes and holds her breath. I just kiss her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom talks to Ben. Some strong language.

Bianca was surprisingly okay with me announcing our relationship on television, but mostly it was because no one knew it was her. Last night was amazing. I still can’t believe she told me that she loves me. Of course I told her as well, and then we finished the night with a stroll in the moonlight before I walked her back to her apartment. 

Now I’m sitting here, feeling fuzzy when my phone rang. I see the caller ID and smile broadly before answering with: “Hello you egotistical attention whore. What’s new?”

“Good morning Mr. I love my girlfriend so much, I can’t even pick up the fucking phone to tell my best fucking friend I have a girlfriend?!” Shit.

“Listen, Ben, I didn’t…”

“No, you listen to me. I am fucking awesome. I love you. And you don’t even tell me about your girlfriend, never mind introducing me? Why?”

“I am really sorry.” I sigh. “To be honest I’ve been having too much fun keeping her to myself, I’ve been selfish. I didn’t want to share her. Which is kind of why I announced our relationship on television. I guess I’m a possessive boyfriend. Who knew?”

“Okay, you’re forgiven. But I have to meet her. She’s important to you, so she’s important to me. Plus I have to see what is so great about her. Have to see why any self-respecting woman would ever go out with you.”

I chuckle. “Fine, you twat. I’ll talk to her and we can set up a time that works for everyone, but how about tomorrow?”

“Yeah yeah yeah. I look forward to it.” I can hear the smile in his voice.

“Listen, Ben, you’ve got to be nice, on your best behaviour, okay? She’s… she’s extremely shy, so just… “ it’s difficult to describe Bianca to someone. Ben hears my hesitation, “Tom, don’t worry, I won’t be an asshole. I’ve got some class,” I snort.

“Okay, I’ve got enough acting talent to act like a respectable person. No need to concern yourself.”

“Yeah Ben, no one has that much talent.” I hang up abruptly and smile. This is going to be great.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meeting Ben.

We are on our way to Ben’s apartment, sitting in a taxi. Bianca is looking out of the window at the passing buildings, a homemade pie on her lap. She had insisted on making it last night, refusing to simply buy one or bring wine. I can feel the nervousness coming from her in waves. She knows how much Ben means to me and she is really worried about making a good impression. I had called Ben a few times yesterday to arrange the lunch at his place, and also to caution him on her social fears and awkwardness. Hopefully he was fully briefed.

I take her hand. She looks at me and smiles, letting out a shaky breath. 

“Don’t worry, love, he’s going to love you. He would be mad not to.”

She smiles at me like she doesn’t believe me, like she always does when I pay her a compliment. The taxi stops at the house and I pay the driver. I get out and so does Bianca. I sigh. She always forgets to wait until I open the car door for her. But since she is so nervous I decide not to tell her this time. I walk around the car and stand next to her, taking her hand again, squeezing it lightly. She looks at me with the biggest eyes ever, very much like the scared eyes of a child on her first day of school. 

I turn her towards me and place my hands on her face. “You are amazing. I love you. I don’t care what anyone else thinks.” I kiss her quickly and step away. She nods and takes my hand again. “Can I take the pie?”

She blushes and shakes her head, brown curls shaking. “Um, no thanks, I need it. P-protection.” I smile reassuringly. I get it. The pie is going to separate her from Ben, and give her something to say as well. 

We walk up the stairs and ring the doorbell. Bianca takes a deep breath. The door suddenly swings open. Ben in his full glory smiles brightly. “Hello, hello! Tom!” he hugs me and steps back. “And you must be the lovely Bianca.” She blushes and nods, holding out the pie. “Um, hi. Nice to finally meet you.” 

“Ah, you are too kind, thank you so much.” He takes the pie. “Please come in.” 

We follow him to the living room and he asks us to sit, getting us each tea and coffee. 

“Wow, so tell me the big story. How’d you guys meet?” Bianca and I look at each other, and I decide to be a bit mean. She has to tell the story. I want her to bond with Ben, and she can’t do that with me occupying the conversation.

“Um, well, I interviewed him for The Avengers movie, but it was my first ever interview, and he was really considerate and friendly, even though I thoroughly messed up.” Bianca had a slight blush but had a pleasant smile on her face, remembering. “Then I had a follow up interview, but I suspect it was actually a cover to ask me out to ice cream.” My eyes widened at the new information and Ben laughed. 

After lunch we retreated to my apartment. I could see Bianca and Ben clicked, which was great. But I wanted both of them to be honest with me. I don’t want a fake friendship on my behalf. As soon as I close the door, Bianca swings around to face me. “Oh my gosh, Ben is so great! And so funny, not to mention friendly. Wow, that was so much fun. We should get together soon. I could cook for you guys, or we could go watch a rugby match. Or…” She was practically bouncing up and down with excitement. I walk towards her.

“I’m so glad you and Ben got along. But if I’m going to be honest,” I place my hands on her waist, “I’m more than a little jealous about the time you’re planning to spend with him.” Her eyes has gone saucer wide. I tug her close to me. “Seems like I’ve got to step up my game. A beautiful,” I place a kiss on her temple, “intelligent,” kiss on her forehead, “compassionate,” a kiss on her cheek, “ and amazing girl like you,” kiss on her other cheek, “deserves so much better.” And then my lips crash onto hers.

She gently pulls back, panting, heart racing. She rests her head against my chest. “I think that maybe you forgot something while making that particular point.” She lifts her head and looks me directly in the eyes.

“Oh, and what was that?” She takes my face in her hands, and whispers “That I love you very much. I know it hasn’t been very long, but I can’t even imagine being with anyone else. I would never ever trade you for anyone else. I am happy.” All I could do was kiss her again. 

She smiles at me and giggles. “Except if, you know, Hugh Jackman shows up, then you’re out.” 

I chuckle. “Noted.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They've been dating over a year now.

We’ve been dating a little over a year. I still can’t believe she’s in my life. And of course, Ben is crazy about her. Says that if I ever hurt her, he’ll throttle me personally. And I believe him 100%. It’s like he’s adopted her as his little sister. It is quite endearing to watch. 

Bianca finally left Steve, and got her dream job, working as a photographer for a fashion magazine. Well, technically she wants to take photos of wildlife, but she loves this as well. 

Ben and I are having lunch at a hidden little café in central London.

“Tom, although this is going to be an awkward conversation, I’m sure, I want you to know I want you to be honest with me. Are you okay? You seem a bit frustrated and wound up lately. Work or problems at home?”

I swallow. This is going to be awkward. “Um, I don’t know, I feel like a complete jackass.”

“Well, I know you’re one, so don’t worry about coming off as one.”

“Yeah, until you hear what’s going on. As you know, Bianca and I haven’t moved in together. The reason is… I don’t… the thing is… she’s…” I sigh. How to say this?

“Oh, Tom. You guys haven’t done it in a while, right? You lost your game? Romance the girl, nitwit.” Ben continues eating, confident he’s solved another problem for me.

“Uh, you see it’s not that easy. We haven’t done it. Period.” Ben almost chokes on his sandwich. He gulps down water, and says “Excuse me?” 

“I don’t want to push her, I’m gathering that her ex had done something like that, that’s why we haven’t… but I want her to know I would never hurt her. The frustrating part isn’t the no sex part, it’s the part where we don’t talk about it. Ever. I know she’s shy and hates the awkward talks, but I mean, I would love it if she trusted me enough to tell me what’s up. It’s not like I haven’t tried talking to her about it. I just… I don’t know.”

“Wow. Man, I don’t know what to tell you. Bianca is a special woman; I wouldn’t want to mess it up by doing the wrong thing if I were you. But maybe you guys should talk about her experience with this ex, because you know what kinds of pigs are out there. It’s healthy to talk about these things.” 

“I don’t want her to think that all I want to do is tear her clothes off and take her against the wall, I just…” I groan as the familiar fantasy courses through my mind. 

“But why not? Isn’t that precisely what you want to do? And have you thought that maybe she wants that as well? I mean, Tom, have you met her? She wouldn’t know if she could ask for it, never mind how to.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“I’m always right.”

“I’ve got to talk to her.” 

“Yup.” Ben says as he finishes his sandwich.

*****

I invited Bianca over for dinner at my place. We already ate and are sitting on the couch while she is telling me about her day at work. 

“But of course I couldn’t tell him that so I just took the photo like that, and it came out beautiful! I-“

“Bianca, love, I don’t want to interrupt your thrilling story, but we could maybe, um, have a serious talk.” Her excited mood vanished and she was immediately nervous. She nods.

“You know I love you, right?” she nods. “And you love me?” She nods again.

“Well, there’s something that’s been weighing on my mind, and I don’t want to push you or anything, please don’t think that, I just want you to talk to me about it.” She nods very slowly. “It’s about our intimacy…”

Understanding floods her face and then embarrassment. Okay, Tom, just keep on talking, before she flees.

“If you’re uncomfortable talking about it, we can stop, but I just want to make it clear that I have no expectations of you whatsoever. I just want to know about Harry. He didn’t push you, or something did he?”

Her cheeks flush red. “No, no, Harry didn’t do anything like that. I…” she shifts away from me, looking at her hands. “He found out, and then he left me.”

“Found out what, baby girl?”

“I can’t tell you, you’ll leave.” Tears were welling up in her eyes. And I saw the humiliation and anger flash in her eyes, like always when she starts crying. She hates crying in front of people.

“Never. I will always love you, no matter what this enormous thing is you think is so ghastly.”

“I-I’m a virgin, Tom.” 

For some reason this made me ecstatic with happiness. I put my arms around her. “Oh, my darling girl, I won’t leave you. Thank you for telling me. I am sorry that you had to go through that with that despicable man, but I love you. And this makes me treasure you even more, because you kept a part of yourself hidden, waiting for the right person. Let me just reiterate myself on this: do not think that I expect anything from you.”

She presses herself into my chest. She sobs softly. It is tears of relief. It tears at my heart that she kept this ‘secret’ to herself because she was afraid that I would reject her. I just hold her as she cries and I sooth her, stroking her hair. We both fall asleep on the couch.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At a party together.

Tonight is the wrap party for the next big Marvel movie. It’s an X-Men and Avengers mashup movie, and even if I do say so myself, truly epic. I am of course Loki in the movie teaming up with the ever evil Magneto to defeat these superheroes. And the writers decided to switch things up a little and let Wolverine and Loki have a fight scene. 

Now I’m pretty used to Chris being really buff and I’m comfortable next to him, not feeling intimidated anymore. We’re tight like always. But working next to Hugh is… wow. Something else. Even though Hugh is probably the nicest human being you could ever come across, I just feel a bit… inadequate. Because he is very talented as well, our scenes are incredible.

I think it’s because of the whole Bianca-having-a-crush-on-him thing. I didn’t think it would ever bother me, because I mean she is only joking, but still. 

Anyway, being the awesome boyfriend I am, I’m taking her to the party and introducing her to everyone. It was time to get her used to my friends. And she’s finally going to meet her crush. And talk about his abs or something. 

Once again we were in a taxi. She is extremely nervous. I understand that, I’m kind of throwing her into the deep end tonight. She feels my gaze on her, and smiles bravely at me. “I’m fine, really.” I nod and pay the cabbie. 

We walk into the bar, it seems like most of the cast and crew are already there. Everyone I introduced her to, loved her instantly, she was too sweet not to like. Chris and Elsa kind of took her under their wing, knowing about her shy nature. She also took a liking to them. Robert was his charming self, and even Scarlett and Mark were accommodating. 

It is time for the big moment. I take Bianca by her shoulder and steer her towards the other side of the bar. I tap a giant man on his back. He turns around and smiles broadly. “Thomas!” 

“Hey, Hugh, I want to introduce you to a fan of yours, my girlfriend, Bianca.”

“Oh, hi there, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” He turns to her and smiles even broader. I might have told him about her little crush. She blushes and shakes his hand softly.  
“Wow, um, hi.”

“I’ll go get us drinks, you get chatting.” I am insecure, but I want Bianca to have her moment. I get us both drinks, Bianca’s alcohol free of course. I took my time on purpose. I look over to where they are standing. They are laughing heartily together; Bianca’s face flushed a sweet smile on her face. I know that smile. Shit. Abort. Abort! 

I grab our drinks and move back to them just as they are giggling about something. My heart made a jealous stab, but I push it away. She turns gleefully towards me, and thanks me for the drink. “Wow, Hugh it was great to meet you. It looks like Elsa’s looking for me. Please excuse me.” Hugh smiles, thanks her for the chat and she walks away. I watch her figure move into the crowd and get back to Chris’s table.

“You’ve got an amazing girl there, Thomas.”

“Thank you, I love her very much.” I am still looking in her direction.

“She couldn’t stop talking about you. It’s pretty evident that she loves you as well. She was telling me how you punched her previous boss in the face. It was hilarious.”

The tightness in my chest vanishes as I realise the dreamy expression she had on her face was because she was talking about me. She was rambling about me, to her teenage crush. I know I’m smiling like a maniac, but I can’t help it. This is what relief or happiness feels like. She felt the same way. 

“Be careful, Thomas. You’re going to split your face in two.” I look at Hugh and see his teasing smile. 

I mingled for a bit, before I decided to go find Bianca again. She wasn’t at Chris’s table. “She went to the bar area, looking for you.” Elsa told me. Okay, don’t panic just yet. Maybe she’s just chatting to someone here. I push through the crowd of dancers back to the bar and I see her. 

She is talking to Michael, but I could see a fake Bianca-smile if I saw it. She is really uncomfortable, but doesn’t show anything, not wanting to be rude. I look at Michael. He is flirting, charm turned on to level 10. A jealous rage, coupled with a protective instinct, takes hold of me. 

I walk up to them and I can almost see the complete relief flooding her face as she sees me approaching. “Hello Michael, I see you’ve met my girlfriend,” I say putting my arm around her waist. Michael’s expression is one of disappointment and he looks a little irritated at my entrance. “Yes, I did. She is quite something.” There is an awkward silence. Bianca looks really uncomfortable and unsure. 

I don’t know if Michael was trying to get into her pants, or just wanted to flirt or what, but I don’t like it. I can feel myself glaring at him, I just can’t help it. “Well, I think I’ll go find James.” He smiles briefly and then disappears into the crowd. 

I turn Bianca towards me, she looks scared. Did she think I am mad at her? “You okay?”

She nods. “He didn’t actually do anything, but it was weird. I’m so sorry.”

“Oh darling, I’m not mad at you, I was just concerned, and you looked uncomfortable.”

She smiles up at me “Damsel in distress, waiting for my villain.”

I grin back at her and stroke her cheek. 

“Tom?”

“Yeah?”

“Um, I-I know these are your friends and everything, but I was wondering if we could leave… please.”

She isn’t looking at me, but I know that she feels guilty for asking, but I also know that this was just too much for her, and that the socializing was taking its toll. “Sure thing, we’ve been here for a few hours already. Go back for pie at my place?” She smiles gratefully and we say our goodbyes to everyone. Hugh winked at me as we left and I know that everyone loved Bianca. She was one of us now. I can tell that Elsa absolutely adores her.

We arrive in my apartment and Bianca goes to the fridge, gets out the pie and takes us each a slice, while I make some tea and coffee. We chat about the night and Bianca gushes over Elsa and Hugh. It seems like she really bonded with Chris’s wife, which warms my heart. 

We are sitting on the couch and Bianca says, “Tom, thank you so much for tonight. I-I am humbled that you wanted to introduced me to your friends. And for sticking by my side. You know me, so much better than I know myself. Thank you for your patience. I-I love you.” She leans in and kisses me softly. The kiss quickly becomes more passionate as my hand slide into her hair and hers clutch my shirt. 

She pushes me back a little. “Um, I think… I think we should um, take a breath.” I nod, simply putting my arms around her and hugging her to my chest. “Thank you,” she whispers into my chest. I just peck a kiss to the top of her head. 

She pulls back. “Tom, I-I want to talk to you about something. Its…” she stops talking and I look at her. She is blushing deeply. “Tell me, I’m listening.” I stroke her cheek.  
“I wanted to run something by you. It’s a big step, but, um… Okay. How would you feel if I got on the pill?” she’s not looking at me. Wait, what?

“I don’t understand. Are you saying….?” I am searching her face, trying to understand what she’s saying.

“I want to do this. I love you, and I’m ready. I have to go see the doctor first, I’ve never been on any sort of pill, but I know it’ll take at least about two to three months, before we can… you know.” she’s looking at my shoulder. My heart is beating so fast, I’m afraid it’ll burst out of my chest.

I lift her chin up so that her eyes meet mine. “Are you sure?” She nods and smiles reassuringly.

“Then I want to say thank you for trusting me. I love you, but please don’t feel pressured. I am truly honoured.” I kiss her again, but this time it was a joyous kiss, to transfer my happiness.


End file.
